Pollution Prevention - P2

In order to protect the health and promote the welfare of the citizens of Forsyth
County, and to assist industry in Forsyth County to operate more efficiently and
economically, it is the policy of the Forsyth County Office of Environmental Assistance
and Protection to reduce the level of pollution entering the air, water and land
by a variety of means, emphasizing the use of pollution prevention (P2) principles
whenever possible.

Pollution Prevention is the use of materials, processes, or practices that reduce
or eliminate the creation of pollutants or wastes at the source. It includes practices
that reduce the use of hazardous and non-hazardous materials, energy, water, or
other resources as well as those that protect natural resources through conservation
or more efficient use. Pollution Prevention is not:

Changing waste from one form to another

Treatment to detoxify or to recover energy

Disposal

Recycling

How can P2 be achieved?

Through facility planning, a systematic approach to implementation of P2 can be
developed that consists of quantifying chemical use and waste generation, P2 options
identification and evaluation, goal setting, and progress assessment. Two general
ways are to implement P2 are:

Product changes/reformulation (development of a less chemical-intensive product,
development of a higher quality product that lasts longer, incorporation of a life-cycle
analysis including the use and disposal options for the product)

P2 Benefits

Environmental Benefits: protection of the environment from further
degradation (environment quality), prevention of irreversible environmental problems,
and a reduced rate of depletion of natural resources, assist in compliance with
environmental laws.

Acknowledgement Program for P2 Efforts/Projects

The Forsyth County Environmental Assistance and Protection Board annually issues
two awards, the "Special Air Quality Award" and the "Special Environmental Award".
The "Special Air Quality Award" is awarded to an outstanding facility that implements
a project generating a reduction of air pollution in excess of the reduction specified
in its air quality permit. The "Special Environmental Award" rewards an exceptional
activity or project achieving pollution prevention/reduction in any environmental
medium. Learn more about these awards.

The D3-3 Form

The Forsyth County Air Quality Technical Code states that a source reduction and
recycling description must be submitted along with each:

payment of an annual permit fee

permit application for modification of an existing facility

permit application for a new facility

To assist facilities in meeting these submittal requirements, the Department has
developed a Source Reduction and Recycling form called the
D3-3 Form.